Australia Post has issued a warning over a scam text message that is circulating and catching many people out.
Multiple customers have reported to Australia Post that they have been sent text messages about parcels arriving but the hyperlink takes them to a fraudulent website.
The disturbing part is that these SMS messages appear in the same texting thread as legitimate ones from Australia Post.
“Australia Post has been made aware of fraudulent text messages that are circulating as an update to a parcel delivery and prompting customers to click on a link to pay a delivery fee,” the postal service warned on its website this week.
“These scam messages are sent using ‘AusPost’ sender ID and, due to the way smart phones group these communications, the scam text would appear together with the legitimate thread of Australia Post messages.
“Once clicked, the link will lead to fake Australia Post website which is designed to steal your personal and financial information.”
The ability to do this is known as spoofing.
Want a streaming service dedicated to news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >
“Don’t miss out on your parcel from AusPost,” one scam message reads.
“You have a parcel that has not been collected for 7 days, to redeliver it, $1.99 is required,” says another fake SMS.
The phishing messages in some cases sound no different to a normal communication sent by Australia Post.
The most important part to look out for is the hyperlink.
Instead of redirecting you to the Australia Post website, they take you to a fake one.
Their fraudulent URL can be a bit.ly link (which means you can’t see the full address) or includes a hyperlink that has other words in it, and not the legitimate Aus Post site.
If you receive the message, report it to ScamWatch and block the number. Do not click on the link.
Last week, news.com.au reported on an Adelaide schoolteacher who received a similar spoofing text message from ANZ.
It appeared among legitimate SMS texts from her bank so she clicked on the link.
More Coverage
Personal information was stolen, allowing the scammer to impersonate her to her phone company and her bank.
She lost a whopping $43,000 – the sum total of her life savings.
An ANZ spokesperson said this was a “sophisticated” scam that had been plaguing their customers for some time.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7xaKlmqaTmnyuu82esGibn6jBtHvArqqtqpGhtqJ5z6iqrWWnlr%2Bvv4yamaitpGLAsLzHoqqtoZOWwaawjK2csaxdorK0v8CgnGark5a6cLrEsKpmq6Skv7p7kGxoamyVm4SispKdbWyZkpeueIDEbW1pamJsf6R%2Bkm4%3D